Oscar for Best Original Score: Listen To All 5 Nominees (2018)

The 2018 Oscar nominees for Best Original Score feature a wide range of music styles and influences. From traditional, lush scores to thundering drum beats to music inspired by jazz and hip-hop, there is something for everybody. This year’s films nominated for Best Original Score include Black Panther, composed by Ludwig Göransson, BlacKkKlansman, composed by Terence Blanchard, If Beale Street Could Talk, composed by Nicholas Britell, Isle of Dogs, composed by Alexandre Desplat, and Mary Poppins Returns, composed by Marc Shaiman.

All five nominated scores are available to stream in full on Spotify, so you can judge for yourself. Listen to a sample song and vote for your favorite below. I have also provided links to the entire scores courtesy of Spotify.

Black Panther – Ludwig Göransson

Göransson blended distinctly African instrumentation like the talking drum with the sweeping orchestral melodies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to create the music for the fictional nation of Wakanda in Black Panther. These styles blend seamlessly in the “Wakanda” track above, while other themes like “Killmonger” escalate with menace. This is Göransson’s first Oscar nomination, having previously worked on films like Creed and Venom. Listen to the entire Black Panther score here:

BlacKkKlansman – Terence Blanchard

Blanchard also just scored his first Oscar nomination for writing the score for BlacKkKlansman. Having worked with director Spike Lee extensively since 1991’s Jungle Fever, Blanchard took inspiration from the film’s ’70s setting by using Jimi Hendrix-esque electric guitar on the film’s heavily repeated main theme. Other tracks like “Gone with the Wind” and “Photo Opps” are powerful in evoking the flawed nostalgia of the past and the gritty reality of our present. Listen to the entire BlacKkKlansman score here:

If Beale Street Could Talk – Nicholas Britell

The score for If Beale Street Could Talk is inextricably woven into the fabric of the film. Britell imbues his score with the lush euphoria of falling in love, taking jazz and classical influences to create gorgeous tracks that fit right in with the enduring music of Miles Davis and Nina Simone featured in the film. The score isn’t wholly romantic, though, with unsettling tracks like “Hypertension” that underline the film’s dramatic tension. This is Britell’s second Oscar nomination, after his stellar score for another Barry Jenkins film, Moonlight. Listen to the full If Beale Street Could Talk score here:

Isle of Dogs – Alexandre Desplat

Desplat is an Academy favorite, with Isle of Dogs being his 10th nomination, from which he has earned two wins, for 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel and 2017’s The Shape of Water. Isle of Dogs finds Desplat emphasizing pounding Taiko drums to propel the Japan-set story forward, with saxophones and other instruments mimicking the sound of barking dogs. Listen to the full Isle of Dogs score here:

Mary Poppins Returns – Marc Shaiman

Finally we have Shaiman earning his first Oscar nomination since 1998’s Patch Adams, with additional nominations for The First Wives Club (1995) and The American President (1995). Shaiman’s score to Mary Poppins Returns is both playful and wistfully nostalgic, matching the film’s fantastical story. The overture, as heard above, encapsulates the various themes heard throughout the film. You can listen to the full Mary Poppins Returns soundtrack below, though note that only Track 2 and Tracks 15-27 count for this category’s purposes.